Dan in Alaska

Here are some pictures of the "new" boat: First Launch: Pot Puller: First Halibut: The Twins:

After considerable shopping around, we went with BoatUS on the "new" boat. They wouldn't give us full surveyed price, though, because we bought the boat for $20K less than the surveyed value. They only wanted to insure the boat for the purchase price, but after some haggling they split the difference with us. The "agreed value" is now $10K more than our purchase price. The rate given to us by BoatUS was about half of what Progressive wanted for the same type of policy, with similar coverage. The previous company finally agreed to pay us, but it took over two months and three different estimates. We went out of our way to make things work, too. We even went to far as to move the boat from Seward to Anchorage, on our dime, to get the third estimate. It's been a long summer. We haven't actually received a check yet, so I'm reluctant to reveal the name of our previous insurance company. But things are looking up. Here is the new boat: She's a 2001 28-ft Koffler Bay-Bee Explorer, with twin 2007 F225's.

I am shopping around for boat insurance. We had a pretty serious trailering accident this summer, and our current boat insurance company has been dragging their feet since June. We've been jumping through hoop after hoop, but we just can't seem to make the insurance company happy enough to cut us a check. I'm shopping around for better customer service for our next insurance company. Got some recommendations? I'll be happy to spill the name and details of our current insurance fiasco, but not until things are settled. Until then, I'll bite my tongue and simply look elsewhere.

I was looking for Solas Amita-4's in 17-pitch or Yamaha 3-blade in 19-pitch.

My 26-Foot Hewescraft has twin F115's. One engine recently started acting sluggish. It takes longer to get up to RPM than the other one. It eventually gets to WOT, but it takes 30-45 seconds longer to reach full RPM. Once up to RPM, the engine behaves normally, with no warning lights or alarms. I've checked all the easy stuff: oil change, lower unit lube, spark plugs, fuel filter, loose wire connections, etc. The spark plug in the #1 cylinder is rather "sooty" compared to the rest, so I'm thinking dirty injector? The props are the same on both engines, and I'm pretty sure they are not the culprits. This particular engine also seems to lose prime occasionally, and I need to re-prime the fuel line with the squeeze bulb. Give it a few squeezes and everything is back to normal again. Should I be looking for a small fuel line leak somewhere, or something more sinister, like a fuel pump that's on it's way out?

I'm looking at getting two new props for my Yamaha F115's. My local shop is out of stock, and will be for a while, so I'm looking for an online source. Got any recommendations for buying Solas or Yamaha-brand aluminum props?

The Northern Lights are only veiwable in the winter months. There is too much daylight during the summer months. You're out of luck there. As for fishing, June & July are tough to beat. Halibut can be found most places, and silver salmon start showing up in Seward in early/mid July. Rockfish were made for kids, and they are in great numbers out of Seward as well. Your kids will have a blast catching rockfish as fast as they can drop a line. I don't run charters out of Seward, but can recommend a few different outfits. Good luck in your quest for a boat. Let me know if you want/need more info.

Halibut are big, strong fish, no doubt. But, they aren't hard to catch. I've spent many days on the water watching kids (and grown men) catch really nice fish without ever removing the rod from the rod holder. The circle hooks commonly used for halibut fishing, don't require a traditional "hook set". A person can leave the rod in the rod holder and simply start reeling when they get a bite. I have no idea how the fish in question was landed, nor to I care to enter a debate about who caught the fish. But, to answer the question of whether it's possible for a little kid catch a big halibut? Of course, I've personally witnessed in many times. A stout rod holder and a reel with a very low gear ratio offer two very big advantages for the angler.

I've spent a fair number of days running halibut charters in a 30' ACB in Alaskan waters. I've been out in 8-10' seas with it, and I've been on a couple of overnight bear hunting trips with it, as well. The ride of the ACB is completely different than a mono hulled boat. The chop seems to slow the boat down, rather than pitch the bow up in the air. The ACB offers a very comfortable ride in choppy seas, comparatively, of course. It does not pound you, like a mono-hulled design. When you're on anchor and halibut fishing, the boat provides a very solid platform. It's a CG inspected vessel, so we can take up to 10 clients out on the boat, though we usually limit it to 8 people at a time. Even with all those people moving around the deck, the boat doesn't rock much at all. It's solid. The 30-footer I run charters with is powered with twin Suzuki 300's. At a 30-32 MPH cruise, it burns 21-23 GPH. At WOT, it runs 45+ MPH at just under 50 GPH. It's propped with 21.5" Suzuki stainless wheels. We keep the boat on a trailer, because of where we fish, but it's a beast. I needed to get a Class-A CDL to drag it around, because it's over 10,000lbs. We use a GMC 5500 w/ a Duramax to pull it around, and the truck is working pretty hard. The boat has a 10-foot beam, so road permits are required for trailering, as well. On the trailer, it's not a fun boat, but on the water, it's amazing. I've never been on another boat in it's size class that rides better. They aren't cheap, though. I think this one cost $260K, new in 2006.

That is good news, Steve. We got some new lights this year, but I haven't really taken a good look at them. I don't know if they are the "new" versions or not. I will take a peek when I head back down to the campground this weekend, though. Thanks for the info.

When fish get that big, they get promiscuous.......everyone gets a turn.

I've used the wireless lights the last couple of fishing seasons, and I hate them. I thought they were a good idea, but they aren't proving to be all that durable. My complaints inlcude: ---They are not waterproof, not even close. A rainy day will ruin them. Forgetting to take them off the trailer before soaking it will be an immediate, expensive mistake. ---I had a transmitter fall off a truck (they're magnetic and just stick on the tailgate) and get bounced six ways of Sunday down the road w/o realizing it. The lights still work just fine, but no other transmitter with activate this set of lights, so the lights are now useless. ---Changing batteries is a pain. After a few trips, the road grime on the lights builds up, so the things are a pain to take apart to get at the battery compartment. I'd hate to imagine how many sets of these wireless lights we've gone through so far, but I bet it's close to 5 or 6 sets. At the price they're selling for, I expect a more durable product.

Both. I usually leave it in "dual" mode when I'm running. The 200Mhz side of the screen is usually less cluttered, though.

I started the halibut season, and with our tides, tangled lines are inevitable. One tip that really helps untangle the mess is to use different colored lines on the rods. I've got green, red, yellow, and white braided lines on my standup rods, and unweaving the rainbow is much easier than when the rods all wear the same colored line. Enjoy!

NICE fish! That's awesome!